Pressure regulating valve



May 18, 1937. R. w. LEUTWILER r-:r Al. 2,080,665

PRESSURE REGULATING VALVE 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 15

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' May 18, 1937. R. w. I EUTWILER ET AL 2,080,566

PRESSURE REGULATING VALVEv Filed Feb.l l5, 1956 2 SheeLS-Sheh 2 20 i um Patented May 18, 1937 UNITED STATES PATET OFFICE Eichholz, Cicero,

Ill.,

assignors to illinois Engineering- Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application February 15, 1936, Serial No. 63,988

3 Claims.

This invention relates to manually adjustable floating diaphragm Valve constructions.

The objects of the invention are to provide a simplied and improved regulator which is manually adjustable to produce any desired reduced pressure at the low-pressure side of the valve either above, at or below atmospheric pressure and is automatically operable to maintain the required pressure at the low-pressure side o f the valve; further purposes of the invention are to provide such a valve construction with a positive shutoff, and with an improved indicating means for showing the setting of the valve for maintaining the delivery side thereof at some preg determined pressure above, at or below atmospheric pressure.

The objects of the invention are accomplished by means of the constructions illustrated in the drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of the improved diaphragm valve construction.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged Vertical section of the lower half of the construction shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view similar to Fig. 2 but showing an added improvement for providing a positive shut-ofi connection between the valve and the differential pressure regulating wheel.

'Ihe invention provides a unitary construction for performing functions that are usually taken care of by separate appliances and which are not so easily set for operation above, at and below atmospheric pressure.

This device-may be quickly set for the maintenance on the delivery side of the valve, for eX- ample of 20, 15, 10 or 5 inches of vacuum, zero, or 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 pounds pressure, when the pressure on the inlet side is greater than the desired outlet pressure.

The improvements are provided for by adding to a, standard diaphragm valve construction, a housing for a spring which is attached to the diaphragm and means for adjusting the spring manually, to place the spring either under compression or tension depending upon whether the pressure operating against one face of the diaphragm, which is in communication with the low pressure side of the valve body, is above or below atmospheric pressure. The spring is attached at one end of the diaphragm and at its opposite end to a shiftable element which may carry an indicator for showing whether the spring is under compression or tension, and the amount ofsuchforcesor resultant eiect on the diaphragm and valve according to the opposed pressure exerted on the diaphragm on the low pressure side thereof. This spring adjusting collar has threaded engagement with a screw which may be manually rotated preferably by means of a hand wheel. The adjusting collar has limited free motion under the action of the screw with reference to a means engaged thereby for positively actuating the valve to wide open or fully closed positions, but may, near the limits of its motion, engage such means and positively shift the valve to its wide open position or to its fully closed position. Thus this improved valveoperating means is a highly convenient device for regulating steam delivery to attain variable differential pressures between the. inlet and outlet sides of the valve, and to enable the operator to adjust the reduced pressure either above, at or below atmospheric pressure by a single manipulative means.

The construction as illustrated in the drawings includes a well-known type of balanced valve, Fig. 1. The direction of steam flow through the Valve body is indicated by the arrow 2. The valves 3 and 4 fixed on the stem 6 are shown as nearly fully seated and the diaphragm 'l attached to extension 8 of the valve stem 6 is shown flexed in the direction required for seating the valves. The hollow support 9 for diaphragm 'I provides a chamber I0 on one side of the diaphragm which is in communication with the low pressure side I I of the valve body. The force on the opposite side of the diaphragm either plus or minus is provided for by spring I2. 'Ihis spring is attached at one end through the pin I3 with the diaphragm clamping nut I 4 and at its opposite end is attached through pin I 5 with a slide collar I6 having threaded engagement with a screw I'I. A bearing for the screw I'I is shown at I8 between the collars I9 and 20 on the screw. This bearing is a part of a tubular spring housing 2| depending from the diaphragm clamping member 22 which is drawn into clamping position by the bolts 23 in casting 9. The collar I6 is prevented from turning on the screw by the trunnions 24 and 24', the former serving as a pointer for a scale 25 which indicates the setting of spring I2. The screw I'l is turned to compress ortension spring I2 by means of hand wheel 26 which is fastened to the screw.

In Figure 3 the corresponding elements which are shown in Fig. 2 are indicated by like numerals but this figure shows an additional auxiliary housing 21 for the spring I2, which housing is carried by the diaphragmY clamping nut 28 and thus moves with the diaphragm and valves and is capable of imparting movement to the valves. The auxiliary spring housing has slots 29 and 30 through which the trunnions 3l and 32 extend and this spring housing may be engaged at the ends of the slots at the limits of motion of collar I6 for the purpose of transmitting movement from screw l1 to the valves 3 and 4, for positively opening and closing the valves whenever the hand wheel 26 is rotated far enough for directly effecting the setting of the valves, All of the intermediate positions of the valve or valves are determined by the opposed pressures on diaphragmr'l plus the force of spring l2 in one direction or the other.

Figure 3 also serves to illustrate how the regulator is adaptable for maintaining a xed differential between the high and low pressure sides of the valve in which case, instead of having atmospheric pressure below diaphragm the housing 2l is closed and a different pressure than atmospheric is communicated to the space within spring housing El by a conduit 33. This conduit may lead to the high pressure side of the valve body l or to some other source of pressure.

When either of the constructions illustrated is used under conditions of operation, wherein there is less than atmospheric pressure on the low pressure side of 'the valve, there is as'usual some type of vacuum producer employed Yin the systemY for reducing the fluid pressure in the piping and upper side of the diaphragm to the point to Which it is desired to admit steam.

In the operation of the improved construction as above described, valves 3 and 5 may be set Wide open or fully closed by turning the screw I1,`Fig. 3, as far as it will go either in the closing or opening direction or the Vvalve may float intermediate these positions according to any desired difference in pressure, within the range of the device, between the high and low pressure sides of the valve. For example, if the pressure of the steam is several pounds above atmospheric pressure on the high pressure side of the Valve, and it is desired to maintain two pounds on the low pressure side, irrespective of normal fluctuations on the high pressure side, the screw is operated so that the pointer 24 indicates the numeral 2 on the outside of the Aspring housing 2|.

The valve is substantially balanced and accordingly is not materially aiected by changes in pressure on the high or loW pressure sides thereof, but the low pressure side il of the valve body is in communication with the chamber I0 on one side of diaphragm 1 and hence exerts an influence on the position of the diaphragm, and accordingly the valves, Vin opposition to the action of spring I2, which is under compression and tends to unseat the valves and Will move the valves accordingly uponV a drop below two pounds pressure at the point Il. When this pressure is again built up to the extent of tWo ,pounds the diaphragm fi iiexesy sufiiciently against the action of spring l2 to reduce the flow through the valve to that re- `quired to maintain the two pounds on the low pressure side thereof.

In case of operation under conditions of partial vacuum and assuming that the collar I6 is adjusted to tension the spring to the extent that the pointer 24 indicates ten inches on scale 25, the operation of the valve is exactly the same as when operating above atmospheric pressure conditions and oats to maintain the ten inches of vacuum on the low pressure side of the valve.

We claim: Y f

1. A regulator of the class described comprising a valve body, a valve movable therein, a diathe diaphragm in communication with the low pressure side of said valve body for the purpose of transmitting such pressure to one side of the diaphragm, a spring for exerting an opposing pressure on the opposite side of said diaphragm, said spring being secured at one end to said diaphragm, means secured to the opposite end of said spring arranged for either tensioning or compressing said spring, and an element operis attached, a shaft having threaded engagement with said spring tensioning member, a bearing for said shaft arranged to prevent axial motion thereof, means for rotating said shaft for the purpose of Vtensioning or compressing the spring through said spring adjusting vmeinber, and a lost motion connection between said spring adjusting member and springI enclosing tube whereby after a limited spring adjusting movement of said member it may positively move the tube, diaphragm, and valve unit to either hold the valve open or closed irrespective of the eiect of said spring. y c

3. In a regulator of the class described, the combination with a valve body, diaphragm support and housing, of a unit movably mounted in said body and housing andV comprising a valve, valve stem, diaphragm, and tubular spring enclosing element; a coil spring within said element and attached to said movable unit-at one end, a spring tensioning or compressing member to which the opposite end of said spring is attached, a shaft having threaded engagement with said spring tensioning member, a bearingfor said f shaft arranged to prevent axial motion thereof, means for rotating said shaft for the purpose of tensioning or compressing the spring through said spring adjusting member, and a lost motion connection between said spring adjusting member and spring enclosing tube whereby after l a limitedV spring adjusting kmovementgof said element it may positively move the tube, diaphragm, and valve unit yto-either hold the valveV open or closed irrespective of the-effect of saidY spring, and an indicator carried by said springadjusting member for the purpose of disclosing the extent of compression or tension of the spring and Whether the valve is positively held shut or open. A

` RICHARD W. LEUTWILER.

WILLIAM EICHHOLZ.

phragm attached to the valve, a housing for c 

